TODAY’S TAKEAWAY
Become the expert on "your people."
You know better than anybody around you what people like you need or want.
THE STORY
She designed a game for seniors and caught Apple’s attention
It was 2017. Masako Wakamiya was in her early 80s and retired after more than four decades at a Mitsubishi bank. One day, while looking for something to do, she found herself on her smartphone’s app store and realized: None of the games were tailored to older folks like her.
Instead of waiting for developers to design for older users, Wakamiya decided to build something herself.
“Old people hardly play game apps because they are not really fun for them,” Wakamiya shared. “I’ve often heard such complaints, so I thought I should make a game app designed for old people to have fun.”
So, in her 80s, she:
- Learned app development basics
- Designed the game around the pace, vision, and dexterity of older players
- Used “Hinamatsuri” doll imagery for cultural familiarity
- Avoided complex mechanics and fast interactions common in mainstream mobile games
Wakamiya’s game, “Hinadan,” attracted international media attention and Wakamiya was invited to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference as its oldest developer. There, she spoke with Apple leaders about aging, technology, and the needs of senior users.
Today, in her 90s, Wakamiya continues to share her story around the world.
THE UNSPOKEN RULE
Become the expert on “your people”
What I learned from Wakamiya is that we all have an underutilized asset in our careers: our own lived experience.
Experiencing a specific problem due to your age, ethnicity, background, or something else? You’re not the first.
Wondering why there isn’t ______ yet to help make your experience better, easier, or less expensive? You’re also probably not the first.
Try…
- Asking others like you a question like, “Is it just me or ______?”
- Searching for your pain points online on Facebook groups, Reddit forums, or Yelp profiles to see what others are saying
- Creating a prototype (which could be as simple as a pen and paper sketch to start!), showing it to people like you, and asking for their feedback
Who knows what impact you might make!
See you next Tuesday for our next story and unspoken rule,
—Gorick
WHAT I’M READING
Here are 3 articles that I found interesting recently (no paywalls, although it may depend on your cookies):
- The science behind the Adidas shoes that helped two marathoners break the two-hour mark
- Introducing the TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2026
- In a tight job market, small businesses may offer opportunities for new college grads
MORE OF MY WORK
1. Keynote speaking: If your organization is looking for speakers for your internship program, new hire orientation, new student orientation, manager training, all-hands meetings, recruiting season, year-end performance evaluation season, or something else, let's chat!
2. HOW TO SAY IT ®: Flashcards that teach you to know what to say in every high-stakes professional setting via hundreds of fill-in-the-blank scripts (just like the examples above). Free shipping on all orders over $40.
3. The Unspoken Rules: My Wall Street Journal Bestseller that Arianna Huffington calls “a blueprint for anyone starting their career, entering a new role, or wanting to get unstuck.” Used by top companies and MBA programs.
4. Soft skills crash course: Hard skills get you hired, but a lack of soft skills gets you fired. Equip your interns and early career talent with the essential behaviors of high performers in just 3.5 hours.
STORY SOURCES
- It was 2017, and Masako Wakamiya was in her early 80s
- retired after more than four decades at a Mitsubishi bank.
- she learned basic programming
- I thought I should make a game app designed for old people to have fun
- created an iPhone game called Hinadan
- self-taught computer use to learn the fundamentals of app development
- game around the pace, vision, and dexterity of older players
- Used familiar Hinamatsuri doll imagery
- Avoided complex mechanics and fast interactions
- invited to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference as its oldest developer
- Cover image
- Masako Wakamiya at 82
- Wakamiya and Apple CEO Tim Cook
